I lost 18 pounds in the month of January, so I am happy with that thus far.
My new goal is to go from 250 to 240 come the end of the month. This will be quite a feat since I am going on vacation. Must stay away from the Pina Coladas.

We finally got some snow--10 inches. Thanks Bethr for asking. The snow is so beautiful to look at. Everything around here looks so clean.

and thanks Bethr for starting the February thread.

I've had a really funny headache for the last three days that is finally going away. I tried my migraine medicine, but that didn't kick it--I wonder what it could have been.

DH and I moved our son into a smaller apartment that will be better for him. Goodness is apartment was a disturbing mess. (maybe that's the reason for my headache) I have a dysfunctional cleaning disorder and I was totally shocked to see what was growing in dark places. I'm sure that was his way of rebelling.

I had to file my first eviction in all my years of being a landlord. Okay so, maybe this was the cause of my headache. I will never understand how I am deemed so mean and a bully when someone refuses to pay rent since November of last year. Just ranting here.

I will be going on vacation prior to going back to school. I love, love vacation, but really do miss my dogs and cats. I have a white golden retriever named Rufus and two Snowshoe Siamese Cats; Marilyn and Sniclefritz...aka Treat *****. (that's a whole other story) I have another white Golden named Jenny, but she's on my list and will have to talk about her later . I just finished up with the critter sitter's instructions on how to email me videos and photos daily.

Diane, I am not so sure I could even guess who you walked the track with, but I can't wait to hear who it is. I'm dreamin' of some hunk a burning' love up and coming athlete. Okay JK. Not really.

Bethr, what do you play in your band. Do you call it a band? LOL, I am so lame with musician lingo.

Well, I must do something productive today. I would much rather surf and chat. Hope everyone has a great day today.

Whew.. I didn't think January flew by.. this feels like the longest winter! The snow and ice finally melted today because we up up to the UPPER 50s! It's like a little one day treat after all the bitter cold and snow and ice. The temps will drop daily starting tomorrow... and I think we are supposed to get another inch of the white stuff tomorrow. Weird Cincinnati weather.

Went to the gym two days in a row, woo hoo! (3 times this week) Still taking it easy with the foot, but I did 30 mins on the bike today, then some weight machines. I plan to go tomorrow and Monday as well.

There was an attempted child abduction in town.. a 9 year old girl was walking home from school and a man tried to get her to get in his car.. even offered her candy. She got away thank goodness! Scary.. so glad my kids are older now or I would really be freakin.

Niki: 18 lbs!!!??? That is amazing! Congrats!!! :kick: .... You got 10 inches of snow!? Holy cow! I am SO sick of snow at this point. ... Evicting people is no fun, and yes, they act like YOU are in the wrong. I managed apartments in my 20's. ...... Awww, Golden's are such sweethearts! .....Yeah, I knew you wouldn't know who I walked the track with, lol, but it's a long long confusing story.. someone who broke my heart 2 years ago, but I've seen him twice in a week and we walked and talked yesterday on the track. We have always stayed in touch, but anyway.. long sad story. I am trying not to get my hopes up... but it's kinda hard not to (it wasn't a matter of cheating or anything like that.. he was going through a tough time and I honestly think it was cold feet). He is an amazingly awesome person, but tore out my heart and confused the heck out of me, but I was never so happy as I was with him. That's it in a nutshell.

Beth: I totally planned to go to the doctor, but my friend Bill called and asked me to clean his house because Ted was in the hospital with pneumonia and was coming home that day... and I HAD to get my oil changed and tired fixed before driving all the way to the other side of town. Hopefully I can go this Monday.

I must admit that I started January 1st and well, the first 11 pounds came off in four days.

Then I had a colonoscopy.

So, I fasted pretty much a whole day just drinking water and that concoction they make you drink! Yuk-o-mania. You are suppose to drink it with gatorade that is loaded full of carbs, but I did it with Fresca. Then there was 5 whole laxative pills throughout the day.

You are allowed to drink chicken broth, but for some reason when I tried it that day, I felt like I was drinking warm water that had a dead bird soaked in it. So no thank you.

I must of lost 5 more pounds in those two days. Now I was down to losing about 16 pounds. Then, after the procedure all I could do is lay and bed and sleep.

Well, now since I was pretty much cleaned out and exhausted, I stalled for over a week. I gained 2 of the pounds back and then started losing again slowly.

Whew!

February will be much harder since I don't have that initial loss of weight and thank goodness, no colonoscopy.

TMI: I will say that when I lo-carb, I become much more constipated than usual so I am going to have to do something about that. I say more than usual because when I eat like a piggy I still don't go regular like I think one should.

Our recent snow fall felt like the beginning of winter here for us. It's been so nice not to have to shovel snow. I also go to school where it is warm and got home right before Christmas time so January felt like it just flew by.

So, this morning I decided to do a weight project. The jar on the right has 18 objects, equaling the amount of weight lost thus far. The left jar has the remaining 102 pieces that I need to lose to get to my goal.

I am getting ready to try fix up some tofu for the first time ever. I looked on the internet and found out that you slice, soak in salt water, squeeze the liquid out, and then fry in oil. I've got to get away from eating meat. So wish me luck.

Its raining! Again. We are in desperate need of rain so we're all happy about it. It has also gotten cold (well, in the 50s cold, so translated to Chicago weather that would be a heat wave). I've done very little this weekend. I worked 50 hours this week and I'm about to jump into do a few more hours of work today. Haven't made it to the gym, but I will do my stretching routine today. This will be another busy week for me.

Niki--I have that same octopus (actually my dog does). As to the constipation, drinking a lot of water, adding fiber (like flax seed) and perhaps taking a supplement like fish oil or flax seed oil will be helpful. My husband plays in a band called RuMoRs (rumorsmarin . com). He is the drummer. They play dance music from the 60s to present, from ABBA to ZZTop. I am the sound engineer for the band. There are 9 people in the band (3 female vocalists, lead guitar/vocals, bass/vocals, keyboard, drums, trumpet and sax).

Diana--I must have skipped over the part about you meeting up with you know who (I won't even mention his name). You best get to the dr. this week young lady!!!!!!! Good for you getting back to the gym.

Charlene--did your sister get moved in? How's the crazy Texas weather this week?

Rachel? How are things going?

Must get some work work done. I've been a slug this week. Next few weekends will be busy. Take care all!

Last night I decided to take some psyllium husks that I bought from the store last night. The directions said 2 tablespoons in 8 ounces of water and drink right away. By the time I got a quarter of the way down the glass full, the rest of the glass had the consistency of malto meal. There was about a cup of this sludge left to consume. I sat in the hot tub last night scooping it out pretending it was unsweetened malto meal to make it go down easier. When I got upstairs I looked on the Internet and found out that you should drink 8 ounces of water with about 3 to 5 g of psyllium husks. After measuring, I found out that the 2 tablespoons I used in my first cup of water equaled about 12 g. Just to be safe I drink three more glasses of water. Ugg!

This is all going somewhere... I am so hungry this morning.
I haven't talk hunger pangs in a very long time. And low and behold I am not in ketosis. Yesterday I had 22 carbs so I am wondering if the psyllium husks through me out of ketosis?

Good morning! What a weekend! Yes, we got my sister moved and she already has her new house in order. It's so awkward moving out when a divorce is in the works. I felt so weird moving with her ex helping us. We were out of her house in an hour and 20 minutes. We had her totally unloaded and had the truck returned by 2:00 p.m.! It was rainy and yucky so the mud was an issue. Thank goodness her new house is all tile.

The other sister now has her scooter fixed so she has "wheels". Felt so bad she had no way to get anywhere except by foot. She took off on a beautiful day and went to a town over 50 miles away. I scolded her for taking off right away - what if that scooter wasn't in perfect working condition? She had not ridden it for over a year!

This weather is the craziest thing. We can wear shorts and t-shirts one day and coats and mittens the next.

Niki - Magnesium worked well for me to get things moving and I use psyllium husk capsules in a colon cleanse I use monthly. I can't take the gritty taste either. I love the jar idea. So visual and creative. We've had to do an eviction before as well. It's crazy how many "rights" tenants have when you depend on that check each month. And then...the damage they do to your place - we've been screwed several times. Thankfully we have the best right now. They've been in our house for almost 4 years and take such good care of it.

Diane - That's so scary about the child abduction! There are some crazies out there. Good for you for hitting the gym! So glad you enjoyed your walk.

Beth - 50 hours! I bet you were ready veg out. Any upcoming gigs?

DD13 played her last junior high basketball game last night and they won 55-1. Felt bad for the other team. We have 15 girls on the team and the coach rotates out every 2 minutes with 5 at a time, so it's not like we kept the very best in there ...plus we are a "B" team. DD13 starts track today and that's her favorite sport. DD15 will keep playing a while - they will make the playoffs.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Charlene

__________________“Put all excuses aside and remember this: YOU are capable.” ~Zig Ziglar

Didn't make it to the doctor AGAIN this week because I was sick in bed yesterday with a head cold.. it knocked me off my feet! I got really super queasy in the shower this morning and quickly laid down for a few minutes, but then felt fine, and went to work. Don't know where the queasies came from. Hopefully NEXT Monday I will make it!

Now we are expecting an ice storm. Oh geez, my favorite. NOT. Snow is bad enough, but ice storms are the worst! All the ice and snow just melted, now we are getting dumped on again.

I went to the gym again Sunday, and yes, I walked the track with you know who again. That's 3 times in 9 days. Like I said, I don't know what he is doing or thinking, but I'll roll with it. I'm playing it cool and being cautious. He always comes back it seems. Maybe I'm not the only one who can't let go.

In the month since this semester started I have only had math class ONCE! I am guessing it will be cancelled tonight as well with the ice storm coming. He did post some homework last week, but I have yet to do it Talk about procrastination! YEP! JUST GOT NOTICE.. NO MATH TONIGHT! This is the easiest class ever! lol!

Niki: I love the jar idea too! I was actually surprised I lost 1.2 lbs this morning.. I was certain after eating late last night it would go up. "The one at the gym" has never seen me this big, so I am motivated to lose it and quick! He is snowmobiling in Michigan this week, so I am hoping to be a little smaller by the time I see him again. Don't get me wrong, I am doing this for ME, but hey, whatever motivates..

Beth: I wish we were just getting rain. Ugh. SO TIRED OF WINTER! Dreaming of sunny San Diego.. I am hoping for a visit in July.

Back in the 20's tonight. Wish this weather would make up its mind. LOL I overslept this morning after my alarm went off so missed my exercise. These late night basketball games are getting to me I guess.

__________________“Put all excuses aside and remember this: YOU are capable.” ~Zig Ziglar

Well, I am holding onto 252; my weight fluctuates up and down .7 one day then .7 back up the next day. I cannot wait to see the 240's.

Someone finally noticed my weight loss the other day--Yeah, they actually told me that my bum looked smaller. That made me feel soooo good. I still wear a 22W. Those pants when held up are sooo wide. How did I ever let myself get like this?

Tomorrow will be the last day I weigh on my ole trusty scales. I love my scales because I can weigh first thing in the morning. I'll be heading off to California tomorrow to visit my daughter, who is in a hospital and then I'm taking a vacation before going back to school. Finding scales will require a weigh in other than first thing in the morning and with clothes on.

I will have to show mega restraint when eating and not cave into delicacies like French toast and mashed potatoes--some of my favorite food items. Eek! I don't have much of a sweet tooth except for molten chocolate cake ala mode . Pure starch is my demise.

I have never met anyone by the name Charlene. Thats a really nice name. Keep warm Charlene.

Diane, how are you feeling? May I ask why you are in school? Are you studying for something?

Good morning. Free weekend here! I'm riding with my sister to do some errands and then I am cleaning this messy house. It's suppose to be in the 60's today too. Such a nice change from the 20's and low 30's. Have a Super day!

__________________“Put all excuses aside and remember this: YOU are capable.” ~Zig Ziglar

Blehhhhh... I don't what I have, but I've been in bed since late yesterday. I've had a cold with just nasal congestion/sneezing and fatigue, but nothing else really until yesterday I started really feeling SICK. I don't know how to explain it other than that feeling you have when you have a fever and your whole body just feels awful. I have a full week ahead, so I hope I am better by tomorrow. I DID get a flu shot this year btw.

I am considering a diet I heard about on Dr. Oz.. it's the fast metabolism diet. It is for people like me.. you know, things I did before don't really work anymore, etc... Apparently you change what you eat every couple of days. I bought the book and skimmed through it real fast but haven't read it yet. One thing I noticed when looking at the food list, is that there is NO DAIRY.. and NO WHEAT! Hmmmm I don't know... but it's just for 28 days and it would get me back in my comfortable weight zone. I will have to plan to do it when there are no holidays or events during those 28 days!

Niki: I am school getting a business information technology degree.... but.... at this point I don't know if I will USE it. I am divorced and decided to go back to school so that I would be able to support myself... but I got sidetracked by art and don't care much about my other classes anymore, lol!

I'm on vacation and it's nice. Ian studying 6 hours a day though.
I blew it yesterday with a bite of my DH's French toast, then his orange chicken last night. Ugg!

The first part of my life I spent trim and fit. I am 5'10 and I hovered around 150 to 170 depending on if I were teaching something like aerobics. I could eat anything. Then, I got my desk job in California for 20 years and raised four kids on my own. I needed to say the raising kids part because as a single parent, there were many trips throughout the fast food drive through--no excuses though. Oh yes, and then I stopped smoking-that was 16 years ago. I know that's no excuse either, but instead of smoking, I ate m&ms and Oreos instead.

I look around and I must be the heaviest person around. I feel so embarrassed and I know my husband feels that way, even though he won't say anything. He's more passive aggressive in his comments which makes me want to eat more just to show him who is in control. Ha!

Oh yeah, the other thing I can't have on that diet is CAFFEINE! I don't know... I want to follow it correctly, but no caffeine? Isn't no dairy or wheat enough?

I did not even get on the scale this morning. I did HORRIBLE yesterday. And I was sick! You would think I would eat less... ugh. Now TOM is here... maybe yesterday was his fault! Still not feeling 100% yet. I have speech class tonight so I hope I'm better by then. I would stay home, but I missed last week because I had that head cold thing and was knocked off my feet. I barely have a cold now.. just this other bug.

Diane, I thought about doing that diet too. I get so impatient nowadays when I have been so good. Then, when I don't see the scale moving, I give up. That's really a sad commentary on my determination.

Niki, you snuck in on me! Hey, don't beat yourself up.. it doesn't sound like you blew it much at all! It happens... at least you didn't DIVE off the wagon into a pool of Oreo's and pizza and regular Coke's like I did yesterday! And I understand the factors that caused you to gain... I too spent the first half of my life at a good healthy weight, was in decent shape.. I had four kids and it was after the last one that I started having trouble with my weight. Add on a crappy marriage and stress from that... THEN five years ago I lost 70 lbs and kept it off by "good carbing" and exercising... never counted anything. Fast-forward to last year... all heck broke loose! Less exercise, more relaxed with my eating.. and more stress than in my whole life. These things are REASONS why we have gained weight. You are right, they are not excuses... they are reasons

Anyway, like I said, don't beat yourself up over a few bites. Just jump right back on the wagon. When I was keeping the weight off, I allowed myself an occasional treat because I got to the point where I knew I could trust myself to not over-do it. I certainly can NOT trust myself these days! The old me has a tight grip on the new me... I have GOT to cut that biaatch loose!

Good Morning! Well I figured out why I was so tired and lacking energy to get up and exercise lately. I had a UTI and am on my 2nd day of antibiotics. Friday I came home from work and slept from 5-9! I never nap. I also napped Sat.and Sun. So unlike me. Saturday after a movie I felt pressure when I went to the bathroom and it got worse as the night went on. ... including blood in my urine. Ugh! Anyway today I felt so much better and got up and did P90X cardio and ab ripper. I will be so sore. My shoulders are already burning.

My weight is way up. So ready to see some results.

Diane caffeine is one thing I had to cut for a while with this infection so water has been my best friend these last few days and it tastes so good! Good luck with this new diet! You can do anything for 28 days!

I didn't do AS bad yesterday, but I had leftover pizza and a few Cokes. Today I have been a little snacky, but not doing bad. I am trying to psych myself up for that diet. I'm not sure when I will start it, but maybe on Sunday or Monday. I have to figure out what I can eat and what to buy at the store. I figure I will eat the rest of my Lean Cuisine's in my freezer first. I will take it a day at a time... I think I will be OK without the caffeine since I can go several days at a time without any, but the dairy (I love my 1% milk) will be hard to give up. And grains. Ok, ok, it's just a month! Like I said, I will take it a day at a time. Maybe I will "trick" myself and say I'm only doing it for a week.

I feel like I'm ready. Just thinking about eating that healthy and knowing how it will make me FEEL.. I want that! The thought that this diet can make me lose 20 lbs in a month helps too I looked more at the foods I can eat, and I'm happy that on certain days I can eat pineapple! No bananas in any phase from what I can tell..

Has anyone had bread or crackers made with spelt? And what IS spelt? Its allowed, as well as brown rice, oatmeal, and quinoa.

Ok... I can do this. This might just save me and get me back to Onederland. Once there I know I will be ok.

Oh geez... they are making homemade Twix on The Chew today.. I did not need to see that!

Charlene: I am going to try to wean myself off of caffeine (and Coke's) the next few days while I get ready to start this diet. Ohhhh I hate UTI's! Glad you are feeling better! I need to start doing Ab Ripper X again. My abs have fallen over the months, and it aint pretty!

Awesome! There is an app that goes with this diet! It tells you what and when to eat! It has the foods allowed for each day listed, as well as a way to make a grocery list. Getting more pumped up about starting. I might even start before Sunday or Monday! Going to get the cookbook too.

Well, I have decided to start the diet TOMORROW! And I BETTER stick with it.. I am quite a few bucks into it at this point. I stocked up on some starter foods. My grocery cart never looked so healthy! Here's what I bought:

(I still don't know what spelt is) Anyway, looking more into it, it isn't REQUIRED that you give up caffeine, just strongly suggested. I'll see how it goes. I can't use the creamer anyway. I still need to get some chicken.

So far so good. I said my "good-bye's" last night... to milk and cheese, coke, and regular bread. I had a BMT from Subway too. I still lost 1 lb.. so I am starting this diet plan out at 210 (and in the middle of TOM). Yuck, but at least it's an even number, lol. With this diet you really have to plan ahead, especially if you are at work/school. You are also supposed to drink half your body weight in water! So, that is 105 ozs! I am going to do my best to follow it correctly, but I am still learning about it as I go, and I'm not sure my portion sizes are all correct! Today and tomorrow are phase 1, the high-glycemic, moderate-protein, low-fat days.. the next two days after that are high-protein, high-vegetable, low-carbohydrate, low-fat, and no fruit! On the third phase I can have things like avocado's and hummus!

I am taking today off to prepare for an IRS audit next week and to just chill. I must get to the chiropractor and if not to the gym, at least get my stretching in. I'm one tired puppy and my body is aching so I'm guessing I've had too much wheat. Thinking about doing a one day cleanse this weekend after the gig. Not too difficult to do for one day and it I always feel better. I've come to realize that I just can't work like I used to. And I don't want to. I'm not at my best and it takes me too long to recover. I have 4 day weekend coming up, but we do have a gig. And I've totally forgotten that Friday is Valentines day. I need to at least buy a card.

Diane--good for you on getting started. You can only take it one day at a time. What is the name of the book/diet? Did you get to the dr. this week?

Niki--how are things going for you today. I realized that we are about the same height and weight, although I think I was bit heavier when I started. Don't beat yourself up for a slip, its not fatal. We will never do any of this perfectly, ever.

Charlene--glad to hear you found out what was bothering you. I saw on FB that your puppy was keeping you company while you working out. More cranberry juice and water for you! Hope you are feeling better.

Beth: It's called The Fast Metabolism Diet, by Haylie Pomroy. There's a lot of info online and guidelines as well if you want to check it out. It is supposed to be especially good for pre/during/post menopausal women because of how our metabolism slows down and the things we did before just don't work anymore. I am having to get used to not snacking on this and that during the day. You are not supposed to be hungry on this diet, and if you are you aren't eating enough. You are actually supposed to add a half serving to things if you have more than 20 lbs to lose... I just don't know about doing that..yet. I'll see how it goes.

Vacation is going good but my studying is really suffering. We are supposed to get some rain so that will at least keep me indoors.

My eating is not as good as when I am at home. When I feel the need to eat my refrigerator at home is packed full of low-carb or no carb foods. I just sent my DH to the store for some eggs. He bought a pizza last night and I have been resisting eating the pizza this morning so he is going to go get some eggs and I can peel the topping of the pizza and scramble the eggs together.

We did a small hike yesterday and I was surprised how well I did. I guess almost 20 pounds gone can really make a difference.

Diane, I can't wait to see how your new diet plan works out. I need to change things up a bit because I don't do well when I stall. And, I really love fruits.

Beth, I think I started much heavier than what I initially posted. I was in a place to did not have a scale and do not really start weighing myself until I got back home. I have nothing good to say about the IRS so I won't make any comments.

Charlene congratulations on your daughter's basketball win. How exciting. Glad to hear that you're on antibiotics for your UTI.

Hi Niki: Vacation is one of the most difficult times to stick to a diet. Sounds like you are doing really well! Yes, 20 lbs can make a huge difference! Since I have GAINED at least that much, I feel like I never exercised a day in my life at this point. I am anxious to get back to at least 3-4 days a week at the gym. I know once I lose it again, I will feel SO much better and have more energy for exercise.

I had an extra slice of spelt with my burger at lunch since I don't think I had enough oatmeal this morning.. figured it would be ok. I toasted the slices and used them as a "bun"... it was goooood. I just had it dry since you can't have ketchup or mayo. I ate my orange.. I don't remember the last time I actually ate an orange! It's been yeeears! I'm feeling pretty good so far, but I am very tired because I had a little trouble getting to sleep last night.